Sand drying device



Get. 13, 1936. G. A. DIEHL 2,057,610

' SAND DRYING DEVICE Filed Dec. 19, 1954 Patented Oct. 13, 136

Unites states PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

Generically this invention relates to driers, but it is more especially directed to such an apparatus particularly applicable to the drying of sand, and constitutes an improvement on my application, Serial Number 615,909, filed June 7,

1932, for Sand drying device.

One of the principal objects of this invention is the provision of means mounted on the fire box or heating plates adapted to hasten the dry- 10 ing operation and direct the flow of the dried particles away from the fire box and to points of discharge.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a fire box, each side comprising independently removable roof and side sections,

said sections being so formed as to prevent burning out, warping or buckling along their meeting edges, bafile means carried by the roof sections adapted to brace and prevent warping of said sections and so constructed as to be expeditiously replaceable as desired.

A further important object of this invention is the provision of a hopper structure adapted to form narrow sand chambers on opposite sides of the fire box and formed with a plurality of openings adapted to permit the escape of steam from the material being treated during the drying operation.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent as the description proceeds,

the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures, of which Fig. 1 is a vertical cross sectional View of my improved device.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional 40 view of the same with parts in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of one of the conduits taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of two of said conduits taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

In devices of this general character for drying sand and the like it has been found difiicult to prevent the burning out and warping of portions of the fire box rendering it difficult to replace the damaged portion without also replacing a large portion not damaged, and similarly to provide bafile means for effecting heat distribution to the sides and roof sections and that would not become quickly damaged rendering it necessary to dismantle a large part of the device in order to efiect replacement of the damaged part, and

further the screen means heretofore employed necessitated a screen of a different sized mesh for each different type of sand and the like, and it was to overcome such deficiencies as above enumerated, by providing a fire box having detachable roof and side sections so formed at their meeting edges as to prevent burning out, warping and the like; bafiie means so carried by the roof section as to present a brace adapted to prevent distortion of said sections and quickly 1O replaceable without dismantling of the firebox to any extent; loosely mounted means exteriorly mounted on said fire box adjustable with respect to the exterior surface thereof for hastening the initial fiow of the dried particles and directing 15 such particles as they become dry away from said fire box; and a hopper adapted to embrace the fire box formed with a plurality of openings to eiiect the ready escape of steam and moisture from the sand being dried, thereby aiding the 20 drying operation, that I designed the sand drier forming the subject matter of this invention.

In the illustrated embodiment characterizing this invention there is shown a supporting frame A, in the present instance, rectangular in config- 25 uration and comprises a front casting I formed with legs 2, a cross bar 3' terminating in lateral projections 3, and with a central opening 4 normally closed by door 5, and a rear casting 6 formed with legs 2 and lateral projections 3, and 30 also formed with a lateral flange I, as will be clear without further discussion.

The castings l and 6 are suitably connected at opposite sides by the respective cross bars 8, and are connected at their upper edges by angle bars 35 9 seating on projection 3 to which they are bolted at their respective ends or otherwise suitably secured.

Coming now to the fire box structure B, the same comprises side sections l0 having their low- 40 er edges supported on castings l and 6 at the bases of the projections 3 to which they are bolted or otherwise suitably secured, and inclining upwardly and inwardly in meeting direction. Said sides ID are formed at their bottom edges 45 with a thickened portion H, and their upper edge surfaces [2 are inclined downwardly and inwardly terminating in thickened portions l3.

Roof sections [4 and 15 are adapted to seat on the upper edges of the respective sides l0 and their lower edge surfaces l6 are inclined slightly upwardly and inwardly terminating in thickened portions IT. The space between surfaces I2 and It may be filled or packed with fire clay or other suitable fire resisting or insulating material. It

is, however, to be understood that if desired, surface l2 may be formed to constitute seats for surface It, thereby eliminating the use of the fire clay as above described.

Roof sections M and I5 sharply incline upwardly with their upper edges in 'meeting engagement. However, in the present instance, section 14 is formed at its upper edge with a thickened portion l8 adapted to engage the upper edge of section i5 and form a continuation thereof. Said sections !4 and i5 areconnected at their upper or meeting edges by bolts l9 or other fastening means. While I have preferably shown section l4 formed with said portion l8, it is to be understood that the construction of said sections at their meeting edges may be suitably changed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

By constructing the meeting edges of sides I!) and roof sections i 4 and i5 as above described,

damage to said part along the lines of jointure' and points where the ascending particles of combustion are deflected upwardly is substantially prevented. At the same time, should it become necessary, any side or roof section may be readily removed and replaced without dismantling the device and without having to replace a combined side and roof section should only one of said sections become damaged.

The roof sections [4 and i5 are formed on their inner surfaces with opposed lateral flanges or lugs 25 on which is slidably mounted the horizontal baffle plate 2! for distributing the heat throughout the fire box, as will directly more fully appear. This baflle not only forms a flue-like opening 22 at the rear end of the device but con-.. stitutes a brace for preventing substantialbuck ling or warping of said roof sections during operation of. the device.

The sides It and roof sections I 4 and I5 are formed at their end edges with oppositely projecting offset lateral flanges 23 and 24. 25 and 26 conform in configuration to a cross section of the fire box as shown in Fig. 1, and are adapted to seat in front of flanges 23 to which they are bolted or suitably secured. Front end 25 is formed with a fire door 21 and with an upper door 28 through which access to bafiie 2| may be had for cleaning or effecting its replacement as desired. 7

A suitable smoke stack opening is formed in the upper meeting edges of sections l4 and I5 with an upstanding flange 29 surrounding said opening and over which is mounted smoke stack 30.

Said stack is cut out to conform to the shape of the roof formed by the meeting edges of the sections l4 and I5 as will be well understood.

A grate structure comprising a plurality of longitudinally, extending rotatable grate elements 3! constitutes the bottom of the fire box. The rear ends of elements 35 are suitably journalled in bearing assembly 32 secured to the under surface of flange 1 by bolts 33, the free ends of said grate elements being journalled in the removable front section 34 of casting I. An ash pan structure 35 is supported beneath the grates 3| on members 8. K

A hopper C is constructed preferably from sheet metal and comprises sides 36 of a length substantially corresponding to that of fire box 13, bent or otherwise formed at its corners to provide ends 31, the inner edges of which conform to the contour of said fire box and seat against flanges 24 to which they are suitably secured,

their lower edges being suitably secured to pro- The ends jections 3. Sides 36 are bent as at 38 to form perpendicular wall sections 39, forming with sides It the narrow sand chambers 40 on opposite sides of the fire box, and having their lower edges seating against and suitably secured to members 9.

In order to prevent moisture or steam from the sand D being dried ascending during the dry- 7 ing operation through the mass to be dried, a plurality of steam vents or openings 4| are formed throughout the surface area of side sections 39, and which also aid in thoroughly and quickly drying the sand in chambers 40.

Mounted at the bottom of each chamber 40 for controlling the flow of dry sand and effecting the removal of extraneous matter therefrom is a rotary cast iron grate 42 which is similar to grates 3| heretofore described and similarly mounted bearings 43 suitably secured to extension 3.

After the hopper has been filled with sand to be dried, in order to quickly start the fiow of dried sand it is advantageous to feed the sand to the heated surface of the fire box in small quantities. and in such a manner that as the particles be'-- come dry they may be directed from said fire box to discharge points without being clogged by sand.

not yet sufficiently dried to run and therefore,

mounted on each side of the fire box extending 1 from its ridge to its lower edge are a plurality of-' inverted V-shaped conduits E, each comprising an upper section 44 and lower section 45, the

meeting ends of said sections being formed with lateral perforated ears v lii connectedby bolts .41 and so formed that said conduits will conform to the contour of the fire box. Each of said up-. per sections 44 is formed adjacent its ends and each section 45 adjacent its lower end with op-I or anchor member 53 adapted to straddle the,

ridge of said fire box and suspendedly support the respective conduits E on opposite sides, of the fire box. In effect the respective opposed conduits E connected by their crown piece 53 form a conduit unit and a plurality of such'units are disposed in spaced relation over the surface area of said fire box. All of said units are identical except'the one in line with the smokefstack 30' where the crown member and part of the re-;v spective sections 44 are dispensed with. The remaining or shortened portions of sections 44 are each secured by a set screw 54 engaging a suitable crossbar 55 having its ends secured to adjacent conduits E in any suitable manner, by,

set screws .56, by welding, or by being cast integral with said conduits, as desired. It may also be found expedient to connect the conduits E by connecting the ends of lateral extensions 48 at the tops of members 44 and at the bottom of members 45 to form crossbars in the manner of crossbar 55, and similarly with respect to lateralv ears 46, so that the conduit sections 44 may comprise one or more such conduit units on each of the roof sections l4 and I5 and the sections 45 comprise one or more units on the respective sides 10 and all of which units may be cast in integral sections, if desired.

With further reference to the conduits E, steam formed by evaporation from the wet sand during:

the drying operation is directed out through said sand conduits. Otherwise the steam to escape is compelled to ascend through the cold sand, a portion of it condenses and further saturates the sand to be dried.

It will be noted that set screws 50 in effecting adjustment of members E with respect to the exteriorsurface of the fire box at the same time effectv similar adjustment of the crown elements with respect to the ridge of the roof of the firebox.

Though the operation of the device would seem to be clear from the above description, it might be well to further state in connection with the conduits E that when the sand to be dried is emptied into the hopper C, only small amounts will flow under said conduits, and owing to the heated surface of the fire box the same will quickly become dried and fiow from the upper ends to the lower ends of the conduits and discharge points or grates at the bottom of chambers 40. The moisture in sand is mostly held on the outer surfaces of the grains causing them to have an affinity for each other so that when the moisture is dispelled the cohesiveness is dissipated causing the grains of sand to disasseciate, and the dry particles roll from under the mass of damp sand under the edges of and down the sand conduits allowing the damp sand to settle down on the hot fire box in the space vacated by the dried particles, and in which manner the dried sand is released near the top of the fire box as quickly as that lying near the sand grates and a continuous flow of sand to the heated surface and under said conduits to said discharge points is effected, not only effecting a thorough drying but a quicker drying of the contents of the hopper than has heretofore been possible.

While the device in its general application is similar to that forming the subject matter of my application. Serial No. 615,909, yet it differs in certain important particulars, among which are the location of the smoke stack 30 and bafiie 2| which effect a complete distribution of heat with respect to the fire box by causing the same to completely traverse the lower portion and then the upper portion before reaching the smoke stack exit. Of course it is to be understood that a suitable damper structure may be mounted in said stack. The construction of the components of the fire box as now presented not only increased the life of the device but effect a saving in time, labor and replacement costs. Further, the conduit units mounted on the fire box structure not only greatly decrease the time required to initially start the flow of the dried sand but materially increase the drying capacity of the device.

Although in practice I have found that the form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing and referred to in the above description as the preferred embodiment, is the most efiicient and practical, yet realizing the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my invention will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts, may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or sacrificing any of the principles of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire protected by Letters Patent is as set forth in the following claims:

1. A drier for sand and the like comprising a fire box formed with inwardly inclined side sections and sharply inclined roof sections seating thereon adapted for meeting engagement at their upper edges, the respective side and roof sections being formed with inwardly projecting thickened portions along their meeting edges, and means mounted on said fire box spaced with respect to the exterior surface thereof for supporting portions of the bulk of sand and to form troughs thereunder on the heated surface of said roof sections for hastening the initial drying operation and directing the particles as they become dry away from said fire box and means carried by said first mentioned means for adjusting same with respect to said inclined surface in accordance with the size of the sand particles being dried.

2. A sand drying device comprising a fire box having an inclined surface adapted to support a bulk of sand to be dried, and a plurality of sand conduit forming elements supported by said firebox in spaced relation with respect to said surface, the heated inclined surface constituting the bottom of the conduits formed in said bulk for hastening the initial drying operation and causing the sand particles as they are dried to be directed away from said fire box and means for adjusting said conduit forming elements with respect to said inclined surface in accordance with the particular operating requirements.

3. A drier for sand and the like comprising a fire box having front and rear end members and formed with inclined side sections and sharply inclined roof sections seating thereon adapted for meeting engagement at their upper edges, a heat exit opening formed in the meeting roof sections adjacent their front ends, a detachable horizontally disposed baffle plate extending from the front end member to a point spaced from the rear end member and engaging the inner surfaces of the respective roof sections, whereby said baffle constitutes a brace for the roof sections and effects a distribution of heat throughout said fire box, sand supporting elements carried by said roof section adapted to support portions of the bulk of sand to be dried in such a manner as to form troughs thereunder adapted to hasten the drying operation and means for supporting and effecting adjustment of said elements with respect to said inclined surface.

4. A sand drier comprising a fire box including an inclined surface adapted to support a bulk of sand to be dried and constituting a drying surface, means supported in spaced relation above said surface, said means adapted to support portions of said bulk spaced from said surface in such a manner that the sand to be dried will flow in continuous small streams to said surface at all points adjacent to said means from the upper to the lower edge of said inclined surface and as dried away from said surface, and means for effecting adjustment of said first mentioned means with respect to said inclined surface in accordance with the particular operating requirements.

5. A sand drier comprising a fire box including side sections, and roof sections seating on said sides and forming a ridge roof, a sand receiving hopper surrounding said fire box, means mounted on the exterior surface of said fire box adapted to support portions of the bulk of sand spaced from said surface in such a manner that the sand to be dried will flow in continuous small streams to said surface and as it becomes dry away from said surface, and means for supporting andvarying the spaced relation of said first mentioned means with respect to said exterior surface in accordance with the size of the particles of sand being dried.

6. .A sand drier comprising a fire box including a ridge roof adapted to support a bulk of sand to be dried, the exterior surface of the fire box constituting a drying surface, a plurality of sand supporting elements suspended in spaced relation with respect to each other over said surface and spaced from said surface, said elements adapted to support portions of said bulk of sand in such a manner as to form troughs thereunder and effect the fiow of sand in continuous small amounts to said surface forming the bottom of said troughs and continuously through said troughs to discharge points, the drying operation continuing during the fiow to said discharge points.

7 A sand drier comprising a fire box including an inclined surface adapted to support a bulk of sand to be dried and constituting a drying surface,a plurality of sand supporting elements disposed in parallel spaced relation over said dlrying surface, means for adjustably supporting said elements spaced from said surface, said elements adapted to support portions of the bulk of sand from said surface and forming sand troughs thereunder, whereby the flow of sand in small continuous amounts to the drying surface in said troughs is effected and as it is dried directed by said troughs away from said surface 8. A sand drier comprising a fire box, includ-- ing a ridge roof adapted to support a bulk of sand to be dried, the exterior surface of said fire box constituting a drying surface, a plurality of anchor members supported by said ridge and a plurality of sand supporting elements suspended from the free ends of said anchor members in spaced relation with respect to each other and spaced from said surface, said elements adapted to support portions of said bulk of sand spacedfrom said surface forming sand troughs thereunder, whereby the flow of sand in zsmall continuous amounts to the drying surface in said troughs from the upper to the lower edge of said surface is efi'ected and as it is dried directedby said troughs away from said surface, and sand retaining means exterior to said fire box.

GEORGE Al DIEHL. 

